Green building commissioning

One of the most important aspects of creating a high performance building is auditing the building before, during and after construction to ensure that good design translated into good construction. This process is known as commissioning (Cx). Green building rating systems for the top 25% of buildings, like the EPA's ENERGY STAR® labeled buildings and the USGBC's Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED®), reward or require independent third-party commissioning, in part, because of the typical attractive payback and return on investment.

For example, one comprehensive study from 2004 found that the payback can be as little as 0.7 to 4.8 years for existing & new buildings, respectively, considering only energy savings (that is, not including productivity benefits, risk mitigation, etc.). But, despite commissioning's short-term & long-term benefits, only 1% of all U.S. buildings have been audited, or commissioned.

In 2007, this rate surged when over 2 billion square feet of buildings registered to pursue LEED Certification -- that's 779% growth in one year from an already huge base. So, Momentum Bay reviewed the more than 250 commissioning agents, and partnered in early 2008 with a select group of the leading firms that we felt to be the most experienced, professional, reputable, affordable, financially stable, profitable & genuine for our clients. Our clients & referrals receive discounted rates & priority, which is increasingly important with the soaring demand generated by roughly 20,000 LEED registered projects in the USGBC's pipeline today.

Our commissioning partners have offices nationwide, including a strong Texas presence, as well as a large & experienced team comprised largely of Professional Engineers, Certified Energy Managers, etc. Their services include:

Fundamental commissioning: A systematic process of ensuring that new building systems (primarily HVAC) perform according to the documented design intent and the owner’s operational needs, and that documentation and training about these systems are provided for facility and property management staff

Enhanced commissioning: Up to five additional responsibilities of the Commissioning Authority or Agent (CxA) under LEED NC v2.2 Energy & Atmosphere credit 3 (EAc3), so that CxA will join the design team earlier & stay involved longer. Five duties include: 1) Conduct design review prior to mid-Construction Documents; 2) Review contractor submittals, 3) Review building operation within 10 months after substantial completion, 4) Develop systems manual for commissioned systems, & 5) Verify that training requirements are completed. In summary, five additional "enhanced commissioning" tasks, the first three of which are the sole ability & responsibility of the CxA.

Retro-commissioning: The same commissioning process as above, but applied to existing buildings, such as, for buildings or portfolios pursuing LEED-EB Certification

Ongoing commissioning: an ongoing building tune-up that ensures building systems operate according to their design specifications

>> For more information about how Momentum Bay can complement your team's efforts by negotiating the most competitive, experienced & reputable commissioning services on your existing building portfolio and/or new developments, please email commissioning@momentumbay.com.

To learn more about commissioning, its payback & other resources, click here.

Next page: Green Building Consulting

- - - - - - - - - - -

GREEN BUILDING COMMISSIONING URLs FOR SALE

Do you provide green building commissioning, retro-commissioning, enhanced commissioning, or continuous commissioning services like our client? If so, have you considered capturing more market share by rebranding with a more targeted, memorable, searchable name?

Due to surging demand, we are now making available to fellow industry leaders our collection of green building commissioning (Cx, RCx, eCx) URLs or LEED-related domain names.